It's not you, it's the dishes

Budget? What Budget?

As the April 8 deadline approaches for the government to pass a spending bill, I can’t help thinking of our own spending bill–the one that keeps growing by the day, threatening to shut down the entire economy of our marriage if it doesn’t get under control.

We just bought a house. Not just a house, but a fixer-upper, aka a money pit, aka a marriage dirty bomb. Don’t get me wrong. It’s also exciting, and cool, and we’re blessed and I shouldn’t complain. Just saying: Shit adds up.

There’s the cost of the demolition and the rebuilding. Also the updated electricity and the plumbing. Also the dump truck. Lighting fixtures, faucets, door handles, counter tops, sheetrock, cabinets, wallpaper, tile, moulding, ceiling fans. Oh, and a new roof, and maybe mold removal, and maybe a new water pipe.

Which brings me to tonight’s dinner:

That’s raw kale. I chopped it and made it into a salad with lemon juice, olive oil and a few other ingredients that don’t really matter. And that’s a box of frozen chicken nuggets. Don’t get me wrong. It was delicious enough, and mildly healthy, and we’re blessed and I shouldn’t complain about having access to fresh vegetables year-round and hormone-free chicken parts. Just saying: Shit adds up. And we’re on a budget.

Yup. It definitely adds up. My husband USED to complain about how much I paid for groceries. Then, he did the shopping for two months, and spent MORE than I did. (He wasn’t as good about shopping around and tweaking recipes.) Now he thinks I do just fine. Groceries seem to be way more expensive lately.